Senior Project Manager (IS)

Howden Joinery Limited; Northampton; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Company car or car allowance

Private medical insurance

Pension scheme (12%)

25 days holiday + bank holidays

Staff discount

Employee Assistance Programme

Rewards events

Job summary

Howdens Joinery Limited in Northampton is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead cross-functional technology and business change projects within the Portfolio & Programme Delivery team. You will provide leadership and day-to-day management to a small team, acting as deputy to the Head of Portfolio & Programme Management to ensure delivery excellence.

You will govern scope, schedule, budget and quality, build strong senior stakeholder relationships, and drive continuous improvement

Qualifications

• Recognised project management qualification such as APM PMQ, APM PPQ or PMI PMP.
• Significant project management experience delivering complex, cross-functional technology and business change projects.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing project managers or delivery professionals.
• Experience managing multiple project managers within a portfolio or programme.
• Strong knowledge of project governance, portfolio management, budgeting, risk management, resource planning and benefits realisation.
• Experience delivering projects using Agile, Waterfall and Hybrid methodologies.
• Confidence presenting status to Sponsors, Steering Committees and senior leadership teams.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Detail orientated approach with the ability to understand complexities.
• Experience with delivery management tools such as Project Online, Azure DevOps, Monday.com, Jira or Confluence.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to remain calm, organised and focused while managing multiple competing priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee complex, cross-functional technology and business change projects and programmes, ensuring delivery against agreed scope, time, cost and quality.
• Provide leadership, coaching and day-to-day management to a small team, supporting their performance, development and capability.
• Act as deputy to the Head of Portfolio & Programme Management, providing leadership and operational oversight when required.
• Provide project assurance across the portfolio, reviewing scope, schedules, budgets, resources, risks, dependencies and delivery plans.
• Support portfolio prioritisation, capacity planning and resource allocation across multiple projects and programmes.
• Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, sponsors, technology teams and external partners, influencing decisions and securing the support needed for successful delivery.
• Ensure effective project governance is in place, including high-quality reporting, RAID management, financial control and change management.
• Act as an escalation point for complex delivery, resource, stakeholder and governance challenges.
• Champion continuous improvement and drive consistent project management standards, methodologies and best practice across the team.
• Support Project Managers in successfully delivering through a range of methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall and Hybrid approaches.

Skills

APM/PMQ or PMI PMP

Team leadership

Agile/Waterfall/Hybrid

Stakeholder management

Governance & budgeting

Delivery tools (Project Online)

Azure DevOps

Monday.com/Jira/Confluence

Risk management

Resource planning

Tools

Project Online

Azure DevOps

Monday.com

Jira

Confluence

Job description

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced Senior Project Manager to join our Portfolio & Programme Delivery team in Northampton. In this role, you'll lead the delivery of complex, business-critical projects and programmes while also supporting, coaching and developing a team of Project Managers. You'll act as deputy to the Head of Portfolio & Programme Management, helping to drive consistent, high-quality project delivery across the portfolio and providing support and guidance to the wider team. We're looking for a detail-oriented Project Manager who enjoys understanding the complexities of delivery, reviewing and constructively challenging scope, requirements and deliverables where needed, and ensuring projects are set up for success from the outset. If you're an experienced technology Project Manager who enjoys leading others, navigating complex change and working with senior stakeholders to turn strategy into successful delivery, this could be a great next step.

What you’ll be doing

Lead and oversee complex, cross-functional technology and business change projects and programmes, ensuring delivery against agreed scope, time, cost and quality. Provide leadership, coaching and day-to-day management to a small team, supporting their performance, development and capability. Act as deputy to the Head of Portfolio & Programme Management, providing leadership and operational oversight when required. Provide project assurance across the portfolio, reviewing scope, schedules, budgets, resources, risks, dependencies and delivery plans. Support portfolio prioritisation, capacity planning and resource allocation across multiple projects and programmes. Build strong relationships with senior stakeholders, sponsors, technology teams and external partners, influencing decisions and securing the support needed for successful delivery. Ensure effective project governance is in place, including high-quality reporting, RAID management, financial control and change management. Act as an escalation point for complex delivery, resource, stakeholder and governance challenges. Champion continuous improvement and drive consistent project management standards, methodologies and best practice across the team. Support Project Managers in successfully delivering through a range of methodologies, including Agile, Waterfall and Hybrid approaches.

What we need from you

• Recognised Project Management qualification such as APM PMQ, APM PPQ, PRINCE2 Practitioner or PMI PMP.
• Significant Project Management experience with a proven track record of delivering complex, cross-functional technology and business change projects.
• Previous experience leading, coaching, mentoring and developing Project Managers or other delivery professionals.
• Experience managing multiple Project Managers within a portfolio or programme environment.
• Strong knowledge of project governance, portfolio management, budgeting, risk management, resource planning and benefits realisation.
• Experience successfully delivering projects using Agile, Waterfall and Hybrid methodologies.
• Confidence presenting project status, risks and recommendations to Sponsors, Steering Committees and senior leadership teams.
• Strong stakeholder management, influencing and negotiation skills, with the confidence to constructively challenge when needed.
• Detail orientated approach with the ability to understand complexities.
• Experience with delivery management tools such as Project Online, Azure DevOps, Monday.com, Jira or Confluence.
• A collaborative leadership style with the ability to remain calm, organised and focused while managing multiple competing priorities.

What we can offer you

• Competitive salary and annual company bonus
• Company car or car allowance
• Private medical insurance
• Excellent pension scheme (company contribution of up to 12%)
• 25 days holiday + bank holidays with the option to buy additional days
• Staff Discount
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Exceptional Reward and Recognition events

We'll do everything we can to support you during your application.

Please note that candidates applying for this role must have a valid right to work in the UK, we do not offer sponsorship of employment for any depot positions at this time. We appreciate your understanding.

About Howdens

Howdens Joinery is a highly successful FTSE 100 business, with more than 900 depots nationwide and more than 11,000 staff. Last year our sales reached circa 2.3bn, and we continue to experience significant growth and success. Despite our scale, Howdens remains a local business with traditional values. There is a strong entrepreneurial ethos and the opportunity to develop within a fast-paced and commercial environment. That, along with a competitive salary, development opportunities, and exciting rewards, are among the reasons why our people enjoy working for Howdens – and why we have been named one of the 10 Best Big Companies to Work For. Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We're working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome.

Howdens is the UK's number one specialist kitchen supplier, trusted by the trade since 1995. From just 14 depots when we started, we've grown to nearly 950 across the UK and Europe, and we're still growing.

We work exclusively with trade professionals, giving them the products, service, and support they need to deliver kitchens fitted to the highest standard. By building strong partnerships with local tradespeople, we help them exceed their customers' expectations, and in turn, we all succeed together. Our success is built on a simple but powerful model: locally empowered depot teams backed by a world-class supply chain. This means we can keep products in stock, provide exceptional service, and deliver real value to our customers every day.